If I Could Turn Back Time
by I found my Mr. Darcy
Summary: Not slash. SS&HP friendship, mentor. AU, not canon-compliant after GoF. When Voldemort's forces are closing in and everyone is dying, Harry must go back in time to save them all. HP and SS somewhat OOC. COMPLETE
1. Prologue

Harry Potter and all his magic are the property of JK Rowling

This is not my first FF, but it is my first in this fandom. This short story is canon up to mid-way through OOTP. I've taken a little license with the timeline after that, but not much. Harry and Severus are slightly OOC. I've been reading a lot of SS mentors HP fic and thought I'd give it a go. This story is fully written and will be a post-in-progress. It's just over 10K words, so the chapters are short. Enjoy.

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 **Prologue**

Two men stood in a darkened room, wondering if they'd made the right decision. The sounds of the battle were growing louder and the younger man thanked whatever mercy remained in the world that the place was so well hidden. "The wards are holding," he observed.

"Obviously," came the silken reply. The voice held the barest hint of its once customary sarcasm.

"Is it ready?" the younger man asked.

"Tonight, when the moon is at its peak."

Silence reigned for several minutes before the older man spoke. "I…I wish it had not come to this. I thought, the last time…" his voice trailed off.

The apprentice laid a hand on his mentor's forearm. "We all did. But we were wrong. This is our last chance, our only remaining hope."

"I do not want you to go. I made a vow."

"I know. But this is the only way. You're not breaking your vow. You're keeping it in the best way possible." He was silent again for several minutes. "Do something for me?"

"Anything. You know that."

"Don't leave me. Please, just," his voice cracked, "watch over me, until I return."

"Always."

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House points to all who leave comments...


	2. Back Again, Harry

Harry and his friends belong to JKR, not me.

That prologue was super short...so I'm giving you Chapter 1 to go with it. Enjoy.

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"Harry? Harry!" The voices sounded like they were at the end of a long tunnel. He peered at the crowd gathering around him. He groaned, then opened his eyes fully. He was in the Great Hall looking up into the faces of people he hadn't seen in far too long. Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, Neville….they were all there. It worked. He was back!

He couldn't help the grin that spread over his face. They had a chance now. He pushed himself off the floor and spoke, "I'm fine. Sorry, just, er, just tired." He dared not make any further excuse. While he knew where he was, he had no idea when.

The unpleasant answer to that question appeared almost sooner than he completed the thought. Pink robes and a monstrous black bow bobbed into his line of site just as he regained his feet. They were followed in moments by the hauntingly familiar, "Hem, hem," of Dolores Umbridge.

Harry considered his plentiful options quickly. He knew his fifteen-year-old self would have mouthed off to the harridan, but he had a few years on that reckless boy. He also had some very specific tasks to accomplish. Things he could not do if he was stuck in Umbridge's office too soon. He forced his groan into silence and instead gave a very respectful, "Good evening, Professor Umbridge." He nearly laughed at the surprised look on her face.

"Good evening, Mr. Potter. What seems to be the problem? Why are you all standing about?" He still hated the sound of her sickly-sweet voice. She was like the evil grandmother in the horror films Dudley used to watch.

"My apologies, Professor. I'm afraid I was very tired and, er, fell asleep at the table."

"Ten-points from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter." The horrible woman smiled as she walked on.

"Foul old bat!" Ron grumbled.

"Are you really okay, Harry?" Hermione asked. "You did more than just fall asleep you know."

"Yeah mate," Ron agreed. "It was worse than when the dementors came on the train in our third year. You just sort of fell off the bench."

Hermione leaned close and whispered, "Did you see something again? About You-Know-Who?"

Only every time I close my eyes, Harry thought to himself. Aloud he said, "No, nothing like that. 'm'alright, really. Let's just go upstairs." It took a supreme act of will not to embrace all of his friends, especially Ginny. She looked so young, so innocent and so very much alive. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and never let go. Please, he thought, please let this work.

When they returned to the common room, Harry tried to make it seem like any normal night. He retrieved his books, sat in one of the squashy chairs by the fire, and pretended to read. The pretense was not meant to last. No matter where he turned, he saw the faces of the dead superimposed on their living counterparts. Ron, his face covered in blood and frozen in a rictus of pain. Hermione tortured to death. Neville burned where he stood, and Ginny. His poor, beloved, Ginny…Harry wrenched his thoughts back to the timeline he now occupied. He needed sleep. He remembered how surly he had been during his fifth year and used it as an excuse to go to bed. When he reached his dormitory, Harry slipped into his pajamas, cast a silencing charm on himself, and went to sleep.

He woke the next morning exhausted and trembling, having slept only intermittently. The silencing charm must have worked however, as Ron's first words were to observe, "Hermione will be pleased."

Harry just looked at his friend and cocked his head. "What?"

"You didn't have any dreams last night, so I reckon the occlumency is working. She was worried when Snape stopped your lessons."

Oh bloody hell! What else went wrong? Could he not have at least come back before the incident with the damned Pensieve?! He groaned and said truthfully, "Yeah. I've got the occlumency figured out."

"Well, c'mon then. Don't want face Umbridge on an empty stomach."

Harry groaned again. Naturally his first class on his first day in this time and it would have to be with Umbridge. "You don't want to face anyone on an empty stomach, Ron." Harry teased. The laugh nearly died on his lips as he recalled those last, frantic, horrible days when Ron went days without food so he could try to keep Hermione alive. In the end, it didn't matter and they both died within a hundred yards of the wards that would have given them sanctuary.

At breakfast, Harry nearly lost his composure again when Hedwig swooped down to greet him. "Hedwig!" He exclaimed. "How are you, old friend?" Ron, Hermione, and Ginny exchanged looks at that, but Harry ignored them in favor of showering his owl with affection. Hedwig stepped back and regarded him. She cocked her head, clicked her beak and hooted softly. Harry leaned down, "I know girl. I don't have time to explain, but it's me. I'm just….a little different." The bird gave a quick hoot of approval and flew off. Harry watched her wistfully, then turned his attention back to his breakfast. It had been a very long time since he had enjoyed any kind of real meal, but especially not the rich and delicious offerings of Hogwarts.

As the Gryffindors made their way to Defense Against the Dark Arts, Harry considered his plans for Dolores Umbridge. She hadn't been part of his original scheme, but he had long since learned to seize these opportunities. His priority had to be talking to Snape, but if he could put a stop to Umbridge, that would be good as well. If he had ended up where they intended, Umbridge would never have been an issue. Since he did not, the plan would have to be adapted. Ultimately, he decided that while Umbridge was a priority, he still could not afford detention with her until after he gained Snape as an ally. But that didn't mean he couldn't have a bit of fun.

The years since he had left Hogwarts had added a good deal to his magical knowledge. One of his favorite new skills was the ability to perform wandless magic. Defense Against the Dark Arts seemed an appropriate place to practice. After all, he had to stay sharp. He took his usual seat, removed his book from his bag, placed it neatly on the table in front of him, and waited. It started when the hateful woman attempted to greet the class.

"Ribbit." She cleared her throat and tried again, "Go…croak." No matter what she tried to say, no sound would come from her throat except that of a wide variety of frogs. She attempted a finite incantatum, but the effects simply continued. When she finally gave up and decided to put the assignment on the board, something went wrong with her spelled chalk. Instead of writing the chapter and page numbers the class was expected to read, the chalk wrote out, "I must not torture students." When she flicked her wand, the words changed. "Dolores Jane Umbridge is a half-blood." Flick, "I support Albus Dumbledore." Flick. "I really hate children." The words continued to change, then to fill the board. When her temper reached bursting and Umbridge looked ready to curse the entire class, Harry cast his protego charm faster than his current / former professor could aim her wand. He felt a genuine smile begin to creep across his face as he watched his old friends try not to laugh. He didn't relent until the professor and her fuzzy pink cardigan surrendered and sat hopelessly on the floor. He made sure to be the last one to leave the room so any hex she might get off wouldn't hit anyone else. As he reached the door he gave a silent, _finite incantatum_ and joined his classmates, leaving a bewildered Umbridge wondering what had just happened. Certainly none of the children in her class were powerful enough for the kind of magic she had just experienced.

By the end of the first day, Harry was emotionally exhausted. Everywhere he turned in the castle he was faced with ghosts. Dead friends now living, dead enemies telling jokes in the hall, even the school itself. In his time, Hogwarts was now the ruin muggles had always seen. It had been decimated in the last battle. The grounds had been littered with students, parents, elves, centaurs, and even goblins. He had to do this. He had to succeed. He had to save them. But first, he really needed to sleep. He decided that just this once, he would indulge in a Dreamless Sleep Potion. He knew one could only be obtained in the Hospital Wing or Snape's Office. He couldn't risk Snape on no sleep, so he cast a disillusionment charm on himself, slipped into Madame Pomfrey's office and found the precious liquid. He returned to his dorm, swallowed the contents of the vial in one gulp and slept for the first time in months.


	3. Impossibilities

_Thank you for the review and the add. 10 points and some of McGonagall's biscuits. I'd offer Hagrid's treacle fudge, but we all know how that would end. :)_

 _As ever, Harry and his friends belong to JKR...I'm just mucking about in her sandbox._

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On the second day, finally feeling at least a little refreshed, Harry reevaluated his plans. Since he had landed a full year later than they had intended, there were a number of things to consider. First, he would have to find a way to speak to Snape. As long as he was in his fifteen-year-old self, getting out of the castle would be difficult. It would be much easier if he had Snape's assistance and cooperation. Second, he could not bypass the opportunity to stop Delores Umbridge. The woman had gone on to be responsible for hundreds of deaths with her damnable Muggle Born Registration Act. He briefly considered sending a patronus to Dumbledore, but rejected the idea. The man had too many secrets for Harry's taste and he did not want his plans interfered with. Harry checked his planner, no potions until tomorrow. He sighed. He was going to have to do this the hard way.

Harry waited until the rest of his classmates were enjoying their free afternoon, and made his way to the potions lab. He walked slowly, taking time to enjoy the feel of the castle. He was nearly to the dungeons when he encountered Malfoy. He tried to glare at the Slytherin, but he couldn't do it. When he saw Draco, he didn't see the fifteen-year-old prat that had tormented him at school. He saw the frightened boy who had died screaming for his mother in the first Battle of Hogwarts.

"Lost, Potter?" Draco sneered. Harry just looked at him and kept walking. The act seemed to take Draco by surprise. Whatever he had been expecting, it wasn't being ignored. "Potter!" He shouted.

Harry sighed and turned around, "Yes, Malfoy?"

"I was speaking to you!"

"I heard you, Malfoy. But as I have nothing to say and am clearly not lost, I decided to ignore you."

"Ten-points from Gryffindor, Potter. You need to learn to respect your betters."

Harry rolled his eyes. Like losing points was the worst thing that could possibly happen. "Malfoy, I need to get going. Are we done here?"

"Why Potter? You don't have anywhere to be down here. What are you up to anyway?"

Harry leveled a look at him and decided to tell the truth, or at least part of it. "I'm thinking of ways defeat the Dark Lord once and for all without getting thousands of people killed." The pale boy turned positively white and ran. Well, Harry thought, that was probably stupid. I wonder if I could blame it on being fifteen again. On the other hand, he's probably on his way to tell Umbridge, so maybe I can get that problem handled sooner rather than later.

Harry ducked into the toilets, cast a disillusionment charm on himself and walked the rest of the way to the potions lab. He let the scents of brewing cauldrons wash over him. It was more peaceful than anything he had experienced since his return. No matter his school experiences, the potions lab no longer frightened him. It smelled more like coming home.

The door was closed, so he simply waited in the corridor. The class looked like first years, so he figured it wouldn't be long before something exploded. His patience was rewarded fifteen minutes later when a cloud of acid green smoke began leaking from the room. Harry shook his head. Someone had stirred their boil healing solution too many times. He smiled, wondering what the Snape in this time would think if he realized Harry could tell that now just by the after effects.

Soon enough the cloud dissipated and the classroom emptied. Thankfully, the child who had ruined the potion was a Slytherin, so the consequences were mild. A two-foot essay on the properties of nettles and one detention. Harry smirked. If he had made that mistake it would have been ten points, a five-foot essay and detention for a week. When the room was emptied, Harry cast a silencing charm and waited. Right now, he needed privacy and time and he knew the potions master was unlikely to grant either to the boy who had so recently, in his time, violated his privacy.

He waited until all of the potions ingredients were safely on the shelves. Snape could be jumpy as hell and Harry wasn't interested in destroying the lab today. He had far too many good memories associated with it. Once the potions master put the last ingredient on the shelf and magicked the cauldrons to one side for some poor student to clean on detention, Harry broke the charm and revealed himself.

"Good Afternoon, Professor," Harry reminded himself to use the formal address. He was only fifteen after all.

"Potter! What are you doing here?" Snape bit out. Oh, Harry had rather forgotten how very angry the man was. Or maybe he never truly realized since it had been years before he spent any time with him outside of class hours after that. The man looked positively lethal.

"I, uh,"

"Today, Potter! Unlike many in this school, I have better things to do than pander to the Boy-Who-Cannot-Mind-His-Own-Business."

Harry supposed he deserved that. If he had time, he would let Snape vent whatever anger he needed. Unfortunately, they weren't guaranteed any such luxury. They had, perhaps, a week. One week to change everything that had gone wrong. It couldn't be enough time. It had to be. "I need to speak with you, Professor."

"Obviously." Snape drawled with his usual sneer of contempt.

Harry almost laughed, almost. "It's important Professor, a matter of life and death."

"Yours?" Snape asked in a tone that said one could only hope.

"No. Everyone else's, Professor." Harry said seriously.

"Get out, Potter. Get out of my sight." Snape ordered.

"No, Professor. I can serve detention next week or you can hex me into the hospital wing as soon as we're done, but I'm not leaving. I am truly sorry about what happened with the Pensieve. It will be years before you believe that I was not being malicious. Stupid, yes, but not malicious. I am not asking your forgiveness, I know it's far too soon for that. I am asking for an audience, Professor, and an open mind."

Snape was stunned. Harry couldn't remember ever seeing that look on his old friend's face. The Potions Master crossed his arms, raised his brow and said, "Continue."

Harry considered it a victory. At least Snape was listening. "I am not your Harry Potter."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Don't interrupt." Harry snapped. The man was infuriating! "I am Harry James Potter and I am twenty-five years old."

"Detention, Potter! I will not stand here and listen to your ridiculous lies!" Snape bit out. He strode past Harry to the door and reached for it, only to be thrown back when Harry cast a blocking spell.

"What have you done, Potter?" Snape growled.

"Cast a barrier between you and the door. Dead useful, that spell. You taught it to me. Though I doubt you suspected I would go back through time and use it against you." Harry said bluntly. Then he asked, "Is your office warded, Professor?" He knew it had been in later years, but was uncertain about the time he was in now.

"That is none of your concern, Potter." Snape continued to glare. He could pace inside the barrier Harry had cast, but he could not walk out. Harry knew the man could do wandless magic, but was counting on the Snape in this time not wanting to reveal that knowledge.

Harry leveled a gaze at the other man and stood. He lifted his wand and began the complex movements required to place the wards and ensure their complete safety and privacy. From the corner of his eye, he saw Snape reach for his own wand. Though his first instinct was to disarm and immobilize the stubborn man, he didn't want to engage in a duel. He spoke instead, "If you hex me before I finish casting these wards, you'll kill us both, so for the sake of the love you bare my mother, please sit down, keep quiet, and let me finish."

His last words, more than anything else he had said, captured the professor's attention. Harry had not planned on using that information, it seemed….unfair. But he simply did not have time to fight with Snape. He needed the man's cooperation.

Snape watched, furious, as Harry worked. What he saw was not the brash, careless motions of a fifteen-year-old wizard. Instead, he saw the precise, economical movements of someone used to having to cast quickly and effectively. Still, it made no sense.

Harry finished his warding then returned his attention to Snape. He removed the barrier spell and watched as the Professor strode directly to the door. "You can't leave, Professor. The wards are keyed to me. You cannot even summon a house-elf through these wards. And you developed them, so believe me when I tell you they cannot be broken even by the Dark Lord." Not for lack of trying, Harry thought ruefully.

Snape's face turned purple with rage. "Enough. I don't know what you're playing at boy, but you will pay dearly for this insolence."

"I have no doubt. But as we are safe and have extraordinary privacy at the moment we will stay in this room until you hear me out," Harry said placidly.

"Congratulations, Potter," Snape said in his deadliest voice, "Your insolence has reached a new record."

Harry was growing frustrated. How could he make Severus listen? He thought over what he remembered of his fifth year and what he now knew about the man before him. The difficulty would be in telling him something that his fifteen-year-old self could not have learned from anyone else. Once he considered it, the answer came quickly. Harry turned to the other man and asked, "If I tell you something, something I couldn't know, will you listen to the rest of what I have to say?"

Snape continued to glare. "Please, astonish me." He answered dismissively.

Harry gave an exasperated sigh. "I forgot how much you once despised me." He looked directly at Snape and began to reconsider his opposition to Legilimensy. "Sixteen years ago, you overheard the first half of a prophecy. You took what you learned to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and he used it to target my parents. When you learned it was my mother he would go after, you went to Dumbledore and confessed. You begged him to protect her and became his spy. The protection failed and my mother died to keep me alive. The killing curse backfired and You-Know-Who vanished. That night, you told Dumbledore you wished you were dead. Not being one to miss an opportunity to advance his cause, he extracted a vow from you to protect me. You have done that every moment from that day to the day you sent me back here. Though I confess, we both thought I would return to fourth year."

Snape looked confused. He knew Harry could not have come by knowledge of the prophecy by accident and found himself intrigued almost against his will. "Why fourth year?"

Harry gave a rueful chuckle. "Our relationship was significantly less adversarial before I had the bad grace to look into that Pensieve and this is not easy information to consider. Plus, you had not yet been forced to resume the mantle of spy. In returning to that year, any time prior to the final task, we might have been able to stop his return. However, we either did not make our intentions clear, or the events of last year had to transpire as they did. Whatever the case, there is not a single moment of this particular year I would choose to repeat."

"Thus far, I can only imagine why." Came Snape's sardonic reply. "Poor little princeling isn't being fawned over every minute. It must be unbearable."

Harry knew Snape was waiting for his temper, that had always been so close to the surface his fifth year, to flare. But he was not that boy. He just rolled his eyes and said, "Indeed, but perhaps I can remedy that while I'm here as well. Do you know how Umbridge conducts her detentions?"

Snape looked confused, then said, "I presume she assigns lines or some other equally mundane task. Nothing so taxing it cannot be borne."

Harry looked at his hand, pleased to see the scars had already begun to form. He walked slowly toward his teacher, palm open. When he was close enough for the marks to be seen, but not close enough to risk contact, he turned his hand so the writing could be easily read. "Look at my hand, Professor. Read what is there."

Snape did so and gasped. "What is this?"

"Marks from a blood quill. The scars are faint now, but by the end of this year, they will be permanent. 'I must not tell lies.' She started making me write that after the first time I refused to back down in her class. Of course, now I understand how very, very, stupid it was of me to antagonize that evil woman. But regardless of my own stupidity, she's using that blood quill on children, Snape, even on first years."

"What else?" Snape asked. This time without as much dismissal in his tone.

"You mean besides Umbridge?" Harry shook his head. "This is the year everything got worse. The death eaters attack the ministry, people die, in the summer I'll even get my aunt, uncle, and cousin killed. Not a banner year for me. Or you for that matter. You find out about Umbridge, but not soon enough to stop her. You know about the impending attack, but not soon enough to prevent it. You'll see children die and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named will solidify his power base." Harry began to feel sick as he considered all that happened that year.

"Impossible." Snape sneered.

"And yet, here we are." Harry replied.

"Even if the rest of your inane tale is true, your relatives are protected by the blood wards." There was a hint of desperation in Snape's voice. A longing to be correct rather than a belief of being so.

"Only as long as we all agree that Number 4 is my permanent home. This summer, after I return to Surrey, things get bad. The worst they've ever been. My aunt and uncle kick me out, and this time I don't refuse to go. This time I pack my trunk and walk out. The blood wards fail almost instantly and by nightfall they're all dead and I'm in hiding."

It was Snape's turn to look ill. He asked nothing for a time, but when he did, it was obvious his doubts were clearing. "How? Dumbledore? A time-turner perhaps? Or a spell?" He asked in voice that was just above a whisper.

"Dumbledore is long dead, the time turners are destroyed when the ministry is attacked this year and as the ministry is no longer on the side of the light we could not risk a spell that could be traced." Harry stated bluntly.

It was more Harry's delivery than his words that finally convinced Snape. There was no hesitation, no softening of the message, just a simple statement of fact. He watched the boy in front of him, considering. "Then how?"

"A potion." Harry said simply. "We created and used a potion."

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How do you think Snape will react to that news? And what else does Harry have to say? Please take a moment to comment or review.


	4. Confessions of a Horcrux

Thanks for all the faves and follows. Please take just a moment to leave a review.

As always, Harry, Snape, and all the magic are the property of JKR.

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"A potion? Then the we you keep referring to…"

Harry interrupted, "…is us. You and I, Severus." He saw Snape flinch at the use of his given name, but he did not relent. "We first considered the possibility years ago, but agreed that time magic was too dangerous, the results too unpredictable. Two years ago, things changed."

"How so? I cannot imagine a circumstance where I would agree to even attempt what you're suggesting." Snape asked.

"I know. I can't tell you more than that. Just that things changed and it became clear we would lose. It was only a matter of time. So we started working on the base. It took a year to develop and another year of testing before we thought it was ready to use. Even then, we might have waited but…." Harry's voice trailed off.

"But what, Potter?"

"But we couldn't. You and I? We're safe, but we were no longer able to keep others safe. We had to act." Harry's voice was resigned and held a sadness that could not have been imitated.

"And now that you're here? What is it you need, precisely."

Harry regarded his friend for a long moment. He then flicked his fingers to conjure a table and two chairs before summoning the fire whiskey he Snape kept in his bottom desk drawer.

"You didn't use your wand." Snape observed.

Harry flushed. Damn, he'd not meant to do that. Well, too late now, he thought. "I did not."

"Why not start with that? Why not demonstrate your power from the beginning?" Harry could hear the snide condescension returning to Snape's voice.

Harry smirked. "If I had walked in here and performed any sort of wandless magic, you would have been convinced I was either possessed by You-Know-Who or an intruder. Either way, you would have tried to hex me into potions ingredients."

"Perhaps you not unintelligent after all. And how did you acquire this skill?"

Harry smiled slightly. "It's not complicated, though it is difficult. Children perform wandless magic all the time. It's why they are sent to school, to learn to focus and control their magic. For an adult to harness the skill requires the witch or wizard to be a rather accomplished occlumens. One must be able to harness and control one's emotions, then focus that energy on the spell to be cast. "

Snape sputtered. "And you're telling me Potter, that _you_ have mastered that skill?"

"I'm telling you I learned from the very best, you. You taught me occlumency. Not this year. It was later. After…after everything went so wrong, after the first Battle of Hogwarts. Now, thanks to you, I can withstand days of questioning under torture from the Dark Lord and his ever-faithful followers."

Snape drawled, "Prove it."

"No, Severus, I won't."

"Excuse me?" Snape growled, responding as he would if fifteen-year-old Harry was speaking to him.

"You heard me, I said no. We don't have time for me to give you a guided tour of the memories I would consider appropriate to share and I am not about to give you unfettered access to my mind. Regardless of what we are now in your mind and in this time, where I come from you are my mentor, my ally, and my last remaining friend. And I will not put the images that are in my mind into that man's head. He has seen horror enough of his own without having to live with mine as well."

"Reckless, foolish, boy! Do you ever stop trying to sacrifice yourself?"

Harry gave a mirthless laugh. "Professor, you tell me that at least once a day. Let me say this. If the situation were reversed and I was begging you to see inside your mind, to see the terrible things that have happened in the years between your time and mine, you would spell a draft of living death into me before you would let that happen."

Harry paused, giving Snape time to process the implications of what he had just said and then continued. "Despite the image I present right now professor, I am not a boy. I am not a child. I haven't been since that night in the graveyard in Little Hangleton. I am a man, I am your friend and I will not allow my friend to see what I have in these past years."

Despite his speech, he almost immediately felt the familiar presence of his Potions Master pressing against his mind. Harry gave the presence a gentle mental push and said, "If you do that again Severus, I will cast you out with enough force to render you unconscious. I said no. Are you satisfied now, do you believe what I've said? Because I need your help and we don't have much time."

Snape raised his eyebrows as much at Harry's tone as at the continued use of his first name. "I still do not understand how we came to be friendly enough that I would allow such cheek from you, man or not. But, you have my attention. What is it that was important enough to risk all our futures on this potion we created?"

Harry gestured to the table and chairs. "I realize this is your classroom, but sit, have a drink. I know I'm going to."

"You are fifteen! I cannot allow a student…" Snape began. But before he could finish, Harry had poured two glasses and was already drinking his. Snape sat down, muttering about reckless, impulsive, idiot boys and Harry enjoyed his first real laughter since returning. "What do you find so amusing, Mr. Potter?"

Harry continued laughing as he spoke, "First, call me Harry. We've been through far too much to revert to this formality. Second, I'm just enjoying that some things are exactly as they should be."

Snape smirked, but sat and joined Harry at the table. "All right you impudent whelp, tell me why you are here."

Harry took a deep breath and all traces of laughter vanished from his face. Snape watched Harry's eyes as he spoke and saw that those eyes, Lily's eyes, were filled with an indefinable exhaustion. They were not the eyes of a child, but the eyes of a man who had seen far too much evil to ever again believe in the light. "Horcruxes. I came back for Tom Riddle's horcruxes."

Snape spewed fire whiskey from his nose as he choked. "He made a horcrux? More than one?"

Harry smiled sadly, "There are seven. You remember the diary from my second year? The one Lucius Malfoy gave Ginny Weasley? That was when Dumbledore began to suspect what Tom had done. Of course, he doesn't tell anyone until bleeding next year! The damned stubborn old man!"

Snape let the comment about Dumbledore pass. Harry had not said anything that Snape himself had not thought over the years and he was unsurprised that Dumledore would have kept this information to himself. "Seven? Madness."

"Still a master of understatement, I see." Harry rejoined. "Yes, seven. The diary, his snake, Nagini," Harry noticed Snape's shudder at the mention of great reptile, "his grandfather Gaunt's ring, a locket handed down from Salazar Slytherin, a cup that once belonged to Helga Hufflepuff, the lost diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw and me." He finished with a whisper.

Snape's already pale face lost all color as he listened to Harry's list. "Great heavens."

"Yeah." Harry shrugged and then continued. "Four of them were destroyed before the first battle of Hogwarts. We lacked only the diadem and the snake. At the time we didn't know about me. We were so close. We knew where the diadem was located, but Draco bloody Malfoy followed me, summoned it out of my hands and went running to his master with it, the damned fool. Riddle already knew what we were after, Ron, Hermione and I, but once he got the diadem, he went mad. He apparated away from the battle and came back with neither the snake nor the diadem. He somehow discovered you were a spy and nearly killed you. But Riddle is, as you know, rather arrogant and he left before confirming you were dead. You escaped to a safe place and began healing your wounds. He crushed everyone remaining at the castle and what remained of our forces fled to safety."

"When? When does this happen?" A horrified Snape asked.

"In two years." Harry answered. "In two years he will reduce this castle to rubble and kill nearly everyone now inside." Harry thought he might be sick just thinking about that night. "The survivors, including you, regrouped and continued fighting. It became a war of stealth and secrecy. It was impossible to know who really supported the new regime and who pretended to in order to survive. Friends became enemies and enemies became allies, and then friends. We learned where the diadem and snake had been taken and rallied for another battle. It was a catastrophe. There was a traitor in our midst and the fighting was over almost before it was begun." Harry's gaze took on a far-off look as he gazed at something only he could see and thought of the dead. He took a shaky breath. "I'm here to change that if I can."

Snape noticed he had not spoken of how the final horcrux was to be destroyed and found he did not wish to know. Or rather that he did not wish to have his suspicions confirmed. "What can I do?"

Harry met his gaze. "Help me. I know where all of them are. If we can retrieve them, I know how to destroy them. Everything we need for that is right here, at Hogwarts."

"And the seventh? Harry, what about the seventh horcrux?"

"We don't talk about that, Sev. Let's just focus on the first six."

"Does Dumbledore know?" Snape asked. Then he answered his own question, "Of course he does. The prophecy! He's known all along. This is why he wanted you protected? So you could die at the right moment?"

Harry gave a sad sigh. "You were furious in my timeline as well. In that timeline, Dumbledore tells you himself. But we simply cannot allow things to play out that way. I am going to tell you where the Horcruxes are, all of them. Only two will be difficult to retrieve. Ron, Hermione and I nearly died getting to one of them the first time. The rest are not as well protected as the Dark Lord thinks."

"You have not used his name. You have used it from the beginning, a habit I have always found infuriating."

"Ah, yes. Well, in my time the name has become taboo. To use it is to give the ministry of magic and the Dark Lord himself an exact location of the speaker and invites torture and death. It was quite clever really as it was mostly members of the Order who used it. They picked off a number of us before we understood what was happening."

They stood and walked toward the door. "Would you like me to leave the wards? I can key them to your magical signature as well. Just think, no more students stealing from your store cupboards or escaping detention." Harry smiled.

"You say I created them?"

"You did. They are designed to keep anyone within completely isolated from the rest of the world. You can hear what happens outside the wards, but you cannot be detected by any sense, magical or mundane. They are impervious even to the magic of house elves." Harry said this with a hint of pride.

"Impressive. This seems an odd thing to ask, but will you have time to teach these to me? If not, it wouldn't seem a good idea to leave them in place."

"You're right, of course. I'll remove them for now. If there is time, I'll show them to you before I leave." Harry paused, "Severus, I, that is the Harry in this time needs to learn Occlumency. He won't retain a solid memory of my time here, but it will still change him. He'll know there is something different and that it involves an improvement with you. He'll be more open to your assistance." He saw the skeptical look on Snape's face and continued. "Look, I know, he's a right pain in the ass. He's reckless, has no regard for his own life, and can find trouble in the middle of an empty room. He's also frightened, angry, and more alone than anyone can imagine. He, _I,_ learned Occlumency too late and people died. Please, help him. Help me." He was pleading now.

"How did I reach you? How did I finally get through that incredibly thick skull?" Snape inquired.

"That won't work now. Your Harry has only just begun to see death." Harry answered dully.

"Then what do you suggest?"

"Stop seeing James Potter when you look at him, at me. I am more like my mother than my father. Maybe even more like you. We both had miserable childhoods. You've seen some of what happened, but not the worst of it. Even then I was practicing a form of Occlumency, I just didn't realize it. I hid the worst memories because I was ashamed. I didn't want anyone, especially not you, to know how very, very, powerless I felt. Teaching him will require gaining his trust. He needs to know you would never use what you have seen to hurt or mock him."

Snape was insulted, "Of course I wouldn't! Of all the stupid, brainless…"

"Stop! All he knows is the man who has spent the past five years belittling his intelligence, and publicly berating him. _He_ doesn't know about your past. _I_ do. I know about Tobias because you told me." Harry had raised his voice, but was not yet shouting. He softened his tone. "You told me about Tobias after a particularly brutal lesson when you finally made it to the memories I had been protecting. I don't want to rehash that now, just please believe me when I say that you and I have much more in common than you currently think. I was not spoiled or pampered by the Dursley's. Not in the least. Harry, your Harry, is not brainless and he desperately needs someone to fight for him. Just, try. Please?"

Taken back by Harry's rant, Snape took a moment and then agreed. "The horcruxes, Mis…Harry. Where do we need to go?"

"One, the diadem, is here, at Hogwarts, the locket is in Kreacher's cupboard at Grimmauld Place. Those should be the easiest to retrieve. The ring is in what used to be the Gaunt House near Little Hangleton, I think I can apparate us there well enough. That leaves the cup and the snake. The cup is in the Lestrange vault at Gringotts which does not, sadly, make it the most difficult to find and destroy. That honor resides with Nagini. Since she is rarely away from her master, she'll be a bit more difficult to get to."

"Hmph. And you say I am the master of understatement." Snape smirked.

Harry removed the wards. "I learned from the best."

Before he opened the door, Snape said, "Fifty points to Gryffindor, Harry." Then he turned, opened the door of the potions lab and said, loudly enough for anyone listening to hear, "Detention, Potter! Tonight, in my office."

* * *

Only one chapter left, then the epilogue. Thanks for the love!


	5. Ogres on Ice

Well, that was embarrassing. Sorry about the weird post. It's fixed now. My apologies for the delay. Professor Umbridge was demanding to be heard, so what was only one chapter and an epilogue has grown to two.

Harry and his magic still belong to JKR...

* * *

No one was surprised when Harry left the Great Hall and headed directly for the dungeons after dinner that night. He had hoped to walk to Snape's office uninterrupted, but it was not to be. He had just reached the staircase and started to descend when the falsely sweet voice of Professor Umbridge stopped him.

"Good evening, Mr. Potter." She trilled.

Harry stopped, turned to face her and said with as much respect as he could muster, "Good evening, Professor Umbridge."

"I had a interesting conversation with Mr. Malfoy today, Mr. Potter. Would you like to guess what we discussed?"

Harry considered and discarded a dozen sarcastic replies before saying, "No, Professor."

"You, Mr. Potter. You and your filthy, disgusting, lies." Her grandmotherly tone was in such contrast to her vile intentions that it still made Harry's skin crawl, even after all these years. He waited in silence for her to continue. "Detention, Mr. Potter. I would have you begin tonight, but Professor Snape informs me you have detention with him all week. You may begin your time with me on Sunday."

Harry was seething but managed a polite, "Yes, Professor Umbridge." He hoped he and Severus would come up with a solution to the Umbridge problem before his younger self had to serve that detention. He suspected it would be particularly brutal.

Once he arrived in Snape's office, Harry again cast the wards that would afford them privacy. He then turned to his friend, "Are you ready to bring down the darkest wizard of all time?"

"Clearly," came the single word reply.

"Then let's go. Is your floo being monitored? I know Umbridge has most of them under watch. What about yours?"

"It's possible. We should leave the castle and apparate wherever we need to go."

"Damn. Let me check something first." With that, Harry pulled the Marauder's Map from his cloak, tapped it with his wand and intoned, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

"I knew it!" Snape exclaimed.

Harry cringed. "Pretend you didn't see that, would you? Young Harry will need it for his own safety."

"Where did it come from?" Snape asked.

"My father, Remus, Sirius and Peter Pettigrew created it. Though I suspect it was largely the first three. Pettigrew never seemed to have the discipline or intelligence to do it. I've always wondered how that sniveling coward ended up in Gryffindor. Now give me a minute, will you?" Snape waited impatiently while Harry perused the map and gave it another tap saying, "Mischief Managed." Harry turned his attention to Snape. "Umbridge is in her office and Filch and Mrs. Norris are currently stalking Peeves on the 4th floor. We should have a clear exit from the castle."

Snape's only reply was to disillusion himself before walking out the door and into the empty corridor. Harry followed close behind and the two were able to leave the castle unnoticed. Neither spoke until they were outside the Hogwarts grounds and nearing an apparition point. "Have you decided which Horcrux we will retrieve first?" Snape asked.

"The ring. Of the three we can easily retrieve, it's the one about which I have the least knowledge. I know it was found in the Gaunt shack, but I have no idea what else we'll find when we get there. With any luck, we can bring the locket back tonight as well."

Snape agreed and consented to side-along apparition since Harry knew where they were going but could not adequately explain it. With a loud crack, some intense pressure and another crack, the pair left Hogwarts and Hogsmeade behind and landed in a dark wood near Tom Riddle's ancestral home. They walked in silence for several minutes and Harry had just started to think he had misjudged their destination when Snape whispered, "There. Do you see? There is an old shack in the clearing ahead."

Harry peered into the darkness. "I see it. We need to start checking for traps."

Snape glared at the young wizard. "Really? And I thought we would just walk up to the front door." He snapped.

Harry winced. "Sorry, Severus."

"Yes, well, let's go."

They moved forward silently, stopping every few feet to check for magical traps. Harry thought about the journey to retrieve the false locket and said, "At the end of my sixth year, I went with Dumbledore to retrieve what turned out to be a fake horcrux. It was on a small island inside a cave near the sea. The water was infested with Inferi. They didn't attack until the locket had been retrieved and we were forced to touch the water."

"I had considered the Dark Lord might make the thing easy to find, but difficult to take." Snape said.

Harry thought about Dumbledore's ruined arm and warned, "Don't put the ring on, no matter what."

Snape glared at him. "What imbecile did that?"

"A very old one."

"Dumbledore? What could he have been thinking?"

"That's complicated and probably more than I should tell you." Harry replied, thinking about the resurrection stone, Ariana Dumbledore, and understanding not for the first time, exactly why Dumbledore had succumbed to the temptation to put on the ring.

They continued to the shack. The front door was half off its hinges and covered with rust and mold. The windows were broken and curtains hung in shreds over their faces. The entire structure was dilapidated and looked ready to collapse on itself. Once they were near enough, Harry muttered, " _Homenum Revelio_." When nothing happened he gave a sigh of relief. He and Professor Snape spent another half hour testing various charms and incantations before deciding it was safe to enter the room.

Inside the rickety shack looked very much a piece with the outside. The floor was littered with broken, discarded furniture, the paper on the walls was peeling and molded, and there was a undefinable air of neglect. Nothing lived here, not even rodents or insects, and nothing had for a very long time. It was Snape who found the ring. It was laying carelessly on a crooked side table.

"It is here." The older man called to get Harry's attention.

Harry joined him immediately and the pair began to study the area around the ring. Harry had been unspeakably relieved to see its protections did not rival those of the lockets. He shuddered as he remembered a wailing Dumbledore and an army of Inferi. "It looks almost too exposed, don't you think?"

"Indeed. I suspect once it is taken from its place, or from this room, we will see the full force of the protection around it. At the moment, I can find nothing."

Harry had visited the Chamber of Secrets earlier in the day and now wondered if he should have brought a basilisk fang with him. He had considered the option, but did not know if Voldemort would sense it had been destroyed. No, it was better to destroy them all at once. The basilisk fangs were only for back up, in case he failed. "We should take it then and be done." Harry stated.

Snape eyed him. "And what do you propose we do when the shack comes alive to claim its due?"

"Burn it to the ground, professor."

The shack did come alive. As soon as Harry crossed the threshold with the ring safely secured in the pouch around his neck, the shack lifted itself in the air, came apart, and formed a menacing circle around the intruders. The circle was the size of a small lake when it was finished. "Well, this isn't good." Harry said.

"Get behind me Harry!" Snape yelled.

"Not likely. I'm not hiding behind you. We do this together." Harry yelled back.

The wood from the house began to seal around them and the earth beneath their feet gave a great heave as arms began to claw through the surface. "Bloody hell! Ogres?" Snape snarled as he conjured a platform on which they could stand.

"Looks like. Any ideas?" Harry was scrambling through his years of magical knowledge and experience. He had encountered trolls, ridden dragons, outrun an acromantula and chased away a hundred dementors, but he had never battled an ogre.

"Ice." Snape bit out. "Ogres are powerful, but not at all equipped for walking on ice and they cannot swim."

"Ice then." Harry agreed. The pair began casting freezing charms until the ground around them was covered in thick sheets of ice. The few trolls who had managed to break through the earth were sliding on the stuff, knocking into one another and slamming against the magical barrier formed by the reconfigured house. Harry transfigured his and Snape's shoes to allow them greater traction on the ice and the pair began casting a variety of hexes and charms on the confused and scrambling ogres. When the last of beasts had been vanquished, Snape looked at the young wizard panting heavily by his side. "If this was easy, Harry, I wonder what you might consider dangerous?"

Harry grinned. "That one involved Polyjuice potion, an unforgivable curse and an escape on a half-mad, blind dragon."

Snape just shook his head. "Insane."

Harry shrugged. "It had to be done."

Snape continued to find Harry's nonchalance about facing life threatening situations disturbing. "And how will you describe this night?" He asked with a sidelong look at his companion.

"If I live to tell about it you mean? I'll say it involved ice, some clumsy ogres and an enchanted house. Reality never quite compares to the stories we tell, does it?"

"I suppose not. It is growing late, we should return to the castle." Snape answered.

Harry looked to the sky and sighed. "You're right, as usual. Damn. I had really hoped to get the locket tonight."

"We'll do it tomorrow." Snape said.

"I am running short on tomorrows, Professor. You'll forgive my urgency." Harry snapped.

The silken voice of his mentor asked, "Do you trust me?"

It was a simple question without an easy answer. Of course, Harry trusted his Professor Snape. That man had bared his soul, risked his life, and fought alongside Harry for years. Together they had escaped the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters, vanquished enemies and buried friends. But could he extend that trust to the man Snape had been when Harry was fifteen? Did he have a choice? Harry turned to face the other man, looking into his eyes. "Yes, Severus. I trust you with my life."

"Then we need to return to the castle tonight, but I assure you we will not have to wait until nightfall to continue this quest." Snape laid a hand on Harry's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Harry nodded his assent and the pair apparated to a spot just beyond Hogsmeade. There they once again disillusioned themselves and began the long walk to the castle in silence. The silence didn't last. After several steps, Snape asked. "If you're here, where is the Harry of our time?"

"He's still here. Just…sleeping. When I go, he won't have any memory of this week, but he'll be changed. Not drastically. He'll be less impulsive and more likely to trust you. In essence, he'll be a bit more mature. It's something I'll leave behind when I go."

"What about you? If you are here now in your fifteen year old body, where are you in your time?" Snape couldn't believe he was even asking such a question. The whole situation was just…bizarre.

Harry looked at his companion and said, "Good question, Professor. If everything went well, I'm at Hogwarts. Hopefully when I wake up, everything will have changed and you and I will be the only humans to know the difference."

"And where am I?"

"Unless you've done something stupid or reckless? You're doing what you've always done, Professor. You're protecting me."

They didn't speak again after that. When they returned to the castle, Harry checked the map, then made a stop in a certain seventh floor corridor to retrieve the diadem, before returning to Gryffindor Tower. Snape returned to his private quarters in the dungeons where he finalized the plans to ensure no one would notice that neither he nor Harry would be in the castle the following day.


	6. Done and Undone

Harry, Severus, and all their associates are the property of JKR.

This is it...just this and the very brief epilogue which I will post shortly.

* * *

Sleep refused to find Harry that night. He could almost feel time slipping away from him and he couldn't still his mind. With an urgency that he had never known at fifteen, Harry levered himself out of bed and reached for his invisibility cloak. It was well past curfew and he had no interest in explaining his nighttime wanderings to a prefect or teacher. He took a brief moment to survey the sleeping faces of his friends and willed himself to remember them as they were in that moment. He wondered if there was a way to bypass the charm protecting the girls' dormitory, he dearly wished to see Ginny just once more in case his plans failed. It couldn't be done, of course, he knew that. He sighed deeply, gathered his resolve and strode determinedly from the tower.

If he could not sleep, at least he could find peace. He raced down the stairs from Gryffindor Tower, thankful for the energy and strength of his younger self. When he reached the bottom, he slowed his pace enough to make less noise and began working his way toward the dungeons. He was about halfway across the entrance hall when he was treated to a vision he had long hoped but never dared to believe he would see. In his shock, he allowed the cloak to slip from his shoulders.

A shouting Delores Umbridge was being firmly escorted to the front door of the castle by four aurors and several members of the Hogwarts Board of Governors. The dreaded black quill could be seen floating in an enchanted globe just ahead of the group. The prefects and teachers patrolling the castle erupted into cheers at the site and Harry allowed himself a triumphant smile. Umbridge caught sight of him at that moment and screamed. "You! This is all your fault! Tell them! Tell them you made it all up!" She demanded.

Harry regarded her for a long moment, then held his hand up so the blood quill scars faced the oncoming aurors and said coldly , "Sorry, Professor, but I must not tell lies." He watched the group continue through the castle doors and hoped it would be enough. There, he thought to himself, there is one good thing done. He wondered how quickly word of Umbridge's removal would spread and who would be head in her place. McGonagall seemed an apt choice, but as she was known to support Dumbledore he thought it might be too much to hope the Ministry would be so sensible. Cornelius Fudge, after all, was still in charge. It was his good fortune that everyone was so caught up in the sacking of Delores Umbridge that they paid little attention to a fifth year out of bed after hours.

He drew his cloak back over himself, sighed heavily and slipped silently from view, focused entirely now on getting to Snape without interruption. The dungeons were silent when he entered and he soon found himself outside the entrance to Snape's private quarters. Without a thought he gave the password, Lily Evans, to the portrait and waited as it swung silently open to admit him. He was in the sitting room before he remembered that fifteen-year-old Harry should not have been able to get in. He was just considering backing out of the space when Severus entered the room. "Potter!" The professor snapped.

"Uh….hi, Severus." Harry had the grace to look chagrined. "Sorry, it's an old habit."

"In the future, you make a habit of entering my rooms unannounced?" Snape drawled.

"Yes, actually. This is our final hiding place. Well, this and your lab, but as they're connected…" Harry shrugged.

"I should change the password." Snape muttered.

"Perhaps, but you won't." Harry stated blandly. "I see you've handled Umbridge already." Harry said to change the subject.

Snape smirked. "A few well-placed letters this afternoon and you see the results before you. The school governors were not pleased and not even Fudge could turn a blind-eye this time."

"Will she be charged?" Harry asked as he seated himself on the sofa.

"Undoubtedly. Whether she is convicted remains to be seen." Snape sat across from Harry, then said, "Why have you come, Po…Harry? I believe we agreed nothing more could be done until morning."

Harry shrugged. "I couldn't sleep."

"Nightmares about tonight?" Snape asked.

Harry gave a mirthless laugh, "Tonight was a children's story, you know that. Even at fifteen I had seen worse." He took a deep breath and stared into the fire. "You would think after years of war I could sleep anywhere. Usually I can. But not there, not tonight. It doesn't feel right, being there with all of them, knowing what's coming." Snape just watched him, saying nothing. "I thought it would feel like coming home, but I was wrong, Severus. Gryffindor Tower isn't home anymore."

Snape eyed him skeptically. "And my quarters are?"

"Truthfully? Yeah. For the past couple of years anyway." Harry answered.

Snape shook his head. "We live together?"

"We do," Harry confirmed.

"And this works?" Snape couldn't hide his incredulity.

Harry chuckled. "Not at first. But now? It works. I told you, in my time, we're friends. We have been for a long time."

"Hmph," Snape grunted. "I should make you return to the tower. Whatever our future friendship, right now you are my student and you do not belong here."

"You're right. But if I get caught out of bed at this hour, not even you will be able to get me out of the castle tomorrow." Harry grinned.

"Impossible child." Snape growled. "Wait here, I will escort you back." Snape left the room as he spoke. When he returned, Harry was already asleep. Snape gazed at the young man and shook his head. He summoned a blanket from his quarters, removed the young man's glasses and placed a glass of water within reach. With a quiet sigh, he laid his hand briefly on the boy's forehead and whispered, "Rest, child," before retiring to his own rooms.

Harry woke the following morning and was momentarily disoriented. He could not immediately recall why he was not in his four-poster bed in Gryffindor Tower, but rather on the familiar worn leather couch he knew to be in Snape's private rooms. He pushed himself up on his elbow and reached for the glasses he knew would be on the table in front of the couch. He ran a hand through his hair, looked around and said, "Severus?" His voice was croaky and dry and he found himself reaching for a cup of water. As always, it was next to where his glasses had been. He sat up fully and sipped the water, then called again, "Severus."

The man stepped out from the hall, "I'm here Harry." He was considering how fighting off a band of ogres, retrieving the darkest of magical objects, and coming to grips with a potentially devastating future tends to put life in perspective.

Harry smirked. "So I see. You belong here. However, as you pointed out last night, I do not. What happened?"

"You fell asleep. It seemed unkind to move you." Snape answered dismissively.

Harry couldn't suppress a smile. "Softy," he muttered. Louder he said, "Have you decided how to get us out of the castle today?"

"We can leave as soon as you're ready," the Potions Master replied.

Harry was curious. "What did you do?"

"I enlisted the assistance of a rather loyal house elf." Snape began.

A feeling of dread formed in Harry's stomach. Not Dobby, he thought, not again. "Dobby?" He asked unwillingly.

"Indeed." Snape saw the look on Harry's face and interpreted in correctly. "You are aware, are you not, that house elves possess their own brand of magic?"

"Of course, I am! But they're not invincible!" Harry snapped. The thought of losing Dobby a second time was painful.

"I am aware of that. He is not in any danger. He has transformed himself to appear more like you and is currently in the hospital wing, unable to receive visitors. Not even our beloved headmistress can see beyond a glimpse." Snape said bitingly.

"Stupid elf." Harry muttered, then sighed. "There's my absence explained then. What about yours?"

Snape answered, "There are certain…privileges afforded teachers in this school. I am exercising one of them today. Don't worry, your classmates will have someone to watch over them."

"I never doubted it." Harry began to feel odd. The room went fuzzy for a moment, then came back into focus. He clutched the arm of the sofa and took a few deep breaths. It was too soon!

Snape noticed his discomfort. "Harry?"

"We," Harry gasped, "we…were…wrong. I'm nearly out of time. I need you to listen, Severus, please."

"I'm here, Harry. Speak quickly." Snape grasped Harry's shoulder.

Harry looked up. "The horcruxes, you have to find and destroy them. The locket belonged to Regulus. Tell Kreacher you can do what his master asked him to and then give him a duplicate of the locket. He'll help you. The ring and the diadem are here." Harry pulled the items from the pouch around his neck and placed them on the table. "The cup," Harry's breath was coming in shallow gasps as he struggled to tell his friend everything he would need to know. "To get the cup speak to Ragnok. Remind him he owes Harry Potter a life debt. Give him this." Harry gave Snape an odd looking silver bowl that he once again pulled from the pouch. "It's goblin made. He gave it to me and said I should return it any time I needed his aid, even if it was in the past. I thought he was insane at the time, but now I wonder if he knew."

"How," Snape paused, "how can I destroy them?"

Reaching into the pouch a final time, Harry placed a handful of basilisk fangs on the table. "Horcruxes can only be destroyed by dark magic. We used basilisk venom on most, I think Fiendfyre would work as well. The sword of Gryffindor is imbued with basilisk venom, you can use it. We did. It's what Ron and I used to destroy the locket the first time. It has to be opened first. With parseltongue." Harry demonstrated the sound for Snape several times until the Potions Master could repeat it flawlessly. "You can tell Dumbledore where they are. He's looking for them too. When You-Know-Who finds out, his rage will be murderous. Last time he didn't figure it out until we took the cup. He was watching Gringotts though and the goblins told him as soon as we escaped. But this year he's so focused on the prophecy that I don't think he'll pay much attention to the horcruxes. I don't know. Just, be careful, Severus. I don't want to wake up ten years from now and find you've gone and got yourself killed." Harry grabbed his mentor's arm, "Promise me, Severus. Promise you will try to survive and promise to take care of him, of me." Harry's voice had grown faint and Snape had to strain to hear his final words, "We need each other, you and I." Harry's eyes closed then and nothing the potions master said or threatened could make him wake.


	7. Epilogue

Thank you once again for the favs, follows and even a few very kind reviews. I have enjoyed playing in this particular sandbox and hope to return one day.

Harry, Sev and all their magic belong to JKR

* * *

When twenty-five year old Harry awoke, the first thing he noticed was that he was not on the couch in Snape's quarters. Instead, he was ensconced on a comfortable bed under a fluffy duvet. He should have known Severus wouldn't leave him on a couch for days. The second thing he noticed was his wife, Ginny, asleep in a chair next to the bed. He pushed himself up, swung his legs over the side of the bed and without even bothering to search for his glasses, enveloped his beloved wife in his arms. "Ginny!" He sobbed into her hair.

Ginny was startled from her sleep by the actions of her husband. She returned his embrace reflexively. "Harry, thank goodness you're alright! We've been so worried about you these past few days!" They spent several minutes like that, just holding on to one another. Ginny wasn't certain what had Harry so upset, but she was happy to offer whatever comfort he needed. "You should rest, love. I'll go tell the others you're awake." She kissed his forehead and left the room.

Harry sat quietly on the edge of the bed, watching the door and wondering what more had changed. No sooner had the thought occurred to him than the memories rushed in. The onslaught was almost painful as new memories formed alongside the old. Each set was as real as the other, and both demanded his attention.

He remembered running from the Dursleys and knowing they had been killed, but he also remembered staying until the summer after his sixth year and helping them go into hiding. He remembered Umbridge's Muggle Born Registration Act, but he also knew she had ultimately been sentenced to years in Azkaban for the use of a dark object against children. It was a confused jumble, but he knew that they had succeeded. They had not saved everyone. Overwhelmed by the temptation of the resurrection stone, Dumbledore still put the ring on and he still died that night on the Astronomy Tower. He could remember trying to duel Snape as he fled Hogwarts with Bellatrix Lestrange. He could see Sirius falling through the veil, but he also remembered spending weeks with him the summer between fifth and sixth year. Alastor lived, as did Remus and Tonks. George still lost his ear, but Fred survived. He knew that all but two of the Horcruxes were found and destroyed before Voldemort realized the danger he was in. The rest played out much like it had the first time. There was a terrible battle at Hogwarts, but this time Voldemort's forces did not crush their opponents. That memory was one of the most difficult. Side-by-side in his mind were images of the dead littering the Great Hall, only the faces changed.

He remembered walking into the forest accompanied only by the spirits of his parents, ready to face his destiny. He remembered the odd, in-between place that resembled Kings Cross Station, and he remembered the way Voldemort ultimately died. But one face refused to present itself in his later memories. He could not see Severus and he felt sick with fear.

"It is a side effect of the potion." Harry's heart leapt at the sound of the voice.

"Severus!" He exclaimed. He jumped from his place and strode across the room to greet the man.

The friends shared the embrace of survivors, each of them knowing that only the other truly understood what had happened, what they had risked, and how they had succeeded.


End file.
